The Opelousas courier., 1887-04-09
NEW YORK POLICE.
How the Great Metropolis is
Guarded Day and Night.
The Number of Policemen-Their Na'ion'
atty, and the Detective Bureau.

New Workers religiously believe that
they have the best police system and the
finest police force in existence. AS rep
resented by the Board of Aldermen
August II, 1886-they hold that ''the
Police Department has reached a stand
ard of efficiency hitherto unattained,
and superior to that of any force in the
world" This opinion, expressed after
the funeral of ex-President Grant, may
only be that of a majority; but, never
theless, exceptions prove the rule. :
What is the number Of the metropoll-
tan police force2 what are its duties2
how is it ~organized2 and in what man
ner are its duties pe%rformed2 are ques-
tons whose answers determine the
soundness or unsoundness of the popular
faith.
The number of the police force, of all
ranks and grades, on the last day OF A.
D. 1885, was 1888, including 30 proba
TONERS. The Legislature of the State Of
New York on May 10, 1886, unanimous
ly authorized the addition of 500, in
Difference to the general conviction THAT
it was numerically too small to. cope with
the possible emergencies Of the times.
The city Of New York, estimating Its
population at 1, $50, 900, then had, ex'
elusive of the Central Park force, one
pol &C officer to every 562 of the inhabi-
ants This, in view of the h~eterogen-
eous character of the people, and the
pccu lar relation of the city to the con-
t.nent, was really an insufficient supply.
In 1888 Pnilad elphia had one policeman
to every 636 of its citizens; Baltimore,
one, to 525; Boston, one to 497; the
metropolitan district of London,
one to $40, md the ancient city of Lon
don. oac to every 100.
The Police Department of New York,
established and organized under the law
of 1870, consists of the Board of Police
which is composed of four commits
sloners, appointed by the Mayor-of the
police force, and of officials appointed
by the commissioners.
The bulk of the police force, CORE.
spondingto the privates or enlisted men
of the regular army, consisted on the 1st
of January, 1886, of the 1896 patrolmea.
On the 18Th of June, according to the
return of Deputy Chief Clerk Delameter, |
the native nationality of the 2935 men
of all ranks and grades then constituting
the police force were as follows: United
States, 1915; Ireland, 974; GERMANY,
1876; Austria. 4; Italy, 5; Switzerland,
I; Canada, 10; E~gl.ud, 80; Finland, |
1; Scotland, IA; Franc, 6; Bavari', 1;
Nova Scotia, 2; D.nmark, I; Sweden,
2; West Indies, /. Thus the United States
have contributed 59.46, ireland 80. II,
and all other countries 7.37 per cent. of
the whole. The Hibernian clement, in
Guiding those born in this country, is
decidedly predominant. Naturally
enough, those in whose constitution
habits of subordination to authority
have been %ingrained by generations of
servitude are most watchful and rcso-
when the enforcement of law is in
trusted to their hands. Whatever their an
cestral anteccdents, the New York police
have invariably illustrated the virtue of
implicit obedience, s%elf-control, LV.nly
courage and intelligent ~ilelity. The
club is at times quite freely used. The
ideal policeman is only an ideal. The
actual is but an approximation to the
imaginary archetype, because he is only
man under all the limitations of the
commonplace American citizen.
The detection of crime is a secondary
junction of the police force, but is one
such romantic and morbidIY fascinat-
ing character that it possesses absorbing
for the great majority of read
ers. The detective bureau, with apart
nents and records at police headquar-
'ers, includes forty detective sergeants,
lnder the orders of Inspector Thomas
This officer, whose celebrity
7ies with that of Fouche and Vidoco.
has been in command since 1880
Harper's Monthly.